The other week I went by a local shop to pick up a G19X that I'd called to confirm they had available. Of course, in the 30 minutes or so it took me to get organized and drive down, it was gone. I felt like I couldn't leave completely empty-handed, and while wandering the racks some CZ rimfires caught my eye. For a while I've vaguely thought of getting a simple open-sighted .22, as my only other is a Savage MKII FV that wears a large optic and is bedded in a Boyd's Varminter stock with bipod and as such isn't ideal for close-range snap shots and general carrying around.

I liked the look of what I assumed to be some sort of 455 carbine, but once I tried shouldering it it became painfully clear that it was a "youth model," which wasn't going to work with my build (I have long monkey arms and wear 38" sleeves). I wasn't a huge fan of the Mannlicher-stocked one, and that narrowed it down to either a used 452 Trainer or a new 455 Trainer. I'd always been led to believe that the 452 was the better gun, and it seemed to have a nicer bluing on the metal parts and a smoother bolt (which I assume was from use), but it had seen some wear and they were within a few percentage points of the same price, so I went with the new 455.

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After taxes and the VA State Police fee I came in right around $400, which seems about in line with what I see online. Out of the box I was very impressed with the trigger, which breaks very crisply with 4-4.5# of pressure. The safety was extremely stiff initially, but I eventually got it worn in. The wood, while nice enough, isn't exactly beautiful, and some of the metal including the bolt and trigger guard/lower assembly seems finished in an almost parkerized-type coating. This is a bit less visually attractive than the deep blue on the 452 I handled, but again, this was new, and I think it still has a certain simplistic wood-and-steel charm to it.

The instruction book, while rather lengthy for a bolt-action rimfire rifle, seems to have been Google Translated from Czech to English, so a few things get lost in the shuffle but it is generally understandable. Over the course of the last two weekends I've put about 1000 rounds through her at ranges of 50, 100, and 200 yards.

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To be completely honest, I have not yet shot for groups on paper, since because I am emotionally a child I like breaking things and therefore greatly enjoy using clay pigeons as targets. The informational page that came with this rifle shows that it shot a 5-shot group measuring 24mm at 50m, or a hair under 2 MOA, using RWS 40gr ammo; while the sights were not perfectly aligned with any of the ammunition I tested, this level of accuracy seems about right with my experiences so far. Most of my shooting has been done with a front bag and my off hand supporting the rear of the stock; from this position, once I figured out POI vs POA, clay pigeons at 100 yards were easy.

Ammunition types I tried included CCI Standard, CCI Quiet, CCI AR Tactical, Eley Club, Federal Automatch, Federal Wildcat, Fiocchi Subsonic HP, and Gemtech Silencer Subsonic. None of these shot particularly poorly, but it seems to have expressed a slight preference for the CCI Standard. I have had zero mechanical failures in the 1000 or so rounds I've fired thus far. I like the graduated rear sight, but unfortunately as the rifle's POA did not exactly match the POI at any range, it has only been used as a "guideline," and I had to crudely shim the rear sight to have much success at 200 yards (the maximum sight adjustment). I intend to adjust the sights next time I hit the range, but I was too excited to shoot it the last few times and left the necessary small screwdriver at home. It seems that the rear sight can be moved side to side for windage, but the front sight does not appear (in the manual) to have any provision for changing elevation which is a tad disappointing. Still, even with these handicaps and battling the gusting winds during last weekend's Noreaster, I was able to more or less repeatedly make hits on an 8" plate at 200 yards. I don't feel like that was a fair shake given the weather conditions, so I'll be trying again shortly. As a note, even with the elevation adjustment maxed out and shimmed, and holding over a tad besides, I could only rely on supersonic ammo , though again I suspect wind conditions played a part in this.

In terms of a physical evaluation, I will say that the fit of the rifle is quite good with no gaps or rough contacts anywhere, and the finish, while a bit plain compared to the 452, is evenly applied, seems durable, and is rather visually appealing. The somewhat severe drop-off of the stock actually lends itself very well to shooting with the low-mounted iron sights. I can't say that I'd like the angle were I to put an optic on it, but for now it's quite comfortable and natural-feeling. The schnabel forend is also a nice touch, as its profile makes it a natural spot to either rest on a bag or grip with your off-hand. For a rifle with a 25" (!) barrel it handles very quickly and is lighter than it would look, and subsonic ammo (particularly CCI Quiet) had a noticeably reduced report out of such a long tube as compared to say a 10/22 or a .22LR pistol. I'm not generally a fan of hooded front sights, but the 455 hood has a large cut-out on the top that allows for plenty of light-gathering so no issues there, even in twilight. The bolt smooths out quickly and after 1000 rounds I can work it fast enough to feel like Sergeant York. The safety is still a tad stiff, but usable.

The downsides to the 455 (I'm speaking specifically of the Training Rifle, though I think these apply to most of the line) include being limited to 11mm dovetail rings for optics mounting, and only including one five-round magazine; additional mags cost around $35. Trust me, it takes a long time to fire 1000 rounds using one five-round mag, and I'm not crazy about shelling out $35 apiece for spares.

All things considered, though, I'm quite happy. I'm not (or I wasn't?) a huge fan of rimfire shooting, but I've fired more .22LR rounds through this gun in two weekends than I have in the previous several years combined. I'm strongly considering ordering a .22 Win Mag or .17HMR conversion kit, though I think it's silly that CZ does not offer these spare barrels with cantilever mounts. In my mind a .22LR limited to iron sights makes sense; a .17 does not. Nonetheless, I'm still pleased with my purchase.

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For now it has a place of honor in my fudd gun cabinet, but I'm very much looking forward to taking it on some walkabouts at my hunting cabin when time and weather permit. The only modification I'm interested in making right now is the possible addition of a receiver-mounted peep sight and the deletion of the existing adjustable rear; while this will of course limit my range adjustments, I'm much more used to aperture sights in general. If anyone knows of a good candidate, let me know.

Very cool.  You got your self a great gun, very fun to shoot.  After my 10/22 turned out too long for my daughter a friend turned me on to this CZ.  I ended up buying it for her.  She loves it.  Get some of the extended mags also, they are not cheap unfortunately.

Its been a few years now an she has even grown now to be able to fire the 10/22 well, but she still sticks to her scout.  I recently put a little optic on it for her.  It sits a little too high unfortunatly, I need the short rings.  But she is handling it just fine for now.

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Congratulations on a great 22 rimfire rifle. This little rifle will simply do the job.

I have a 455 too, and it is a nice rifle. I installed the rear aperture below from techsights. Really a well made all steel sight that is very rugged and low profile and fits on the rear dovetail.

The only thing is that any rear peep sight will preclude using a scope unless you take the aperture off, so I keep my CZ set up for irons and have another 22 with a scope. If you were to put a scope on it, DIP makes a very good picatinny rail that slides over the 3/8 groove. That rail is also a very good fit and once installed it looks like the rifle came from the factory with an integrated rail.

http://www.tech-sights.com/product/cz452-adjustable-aperture-sights/

My CZs love Wolf Match Target!

I just bought one NIB for $150 from a store going out of business. I'm going to put it in a Tacticool stock and go from there. I don't know if I want to get into the .22 mag or .17 hmr game though.

Oh perfect, thanks for the tip! Did you have to replace the front blade to zero with the rear peep sight? And did you remove the original rear sight also?